Rhubarb Ginger Ice Cream (#13)

Week #13! This means I’m 25% through my year of ice cream making. So far, I’m having loads of fun time developing new recipes and churning out batch after batch of delectable home made ice cream.

I really like using fresh, local ingredients, so I recently put out a call to my co-workers: If you grow interesting things in your backyard and want to bring me some freshly harvested goodies, I can probably transform it into ice cream for you. And the next day, I came to work and found a bunch of rhubarb on my desk. (Thanks Hildie!)

Freshly picked rhubarb

Rhubarb is a fascinating vegetable. It looks like pink celery and has an absolutely puckering bite if you try to eat it raw. I thought this bunch of rhubarb ought to be cooked into a luscious compote loaded with ginger, then swirled into an ice cream custard. Don’t be scared by the amount of ginger called for in the compote. When mixed into the ice cream, there’s a wonderful balance of sweet and heat. If you have a lot of rhubarb on hand, double the compote recipe and save some for topping yogurt, waffles, pancakes, or toast.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (170 degrees F / 77 degrees C).

Remove from heat immediately and add the remaining half-and-half to stop the cooking. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the saucepan into an ice bath to cool the custard rapidly.

Chill overnight in the fridge.

For the Rhubarb Ginger Compote:

While the ice cream is chilling, prepare the rhubarb ginger compote. Combine all compote ingredients into a non-reactive saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb softens and breaks down. This should take about 10 to 12 minutes. Don’t overcook it. You want the compote to still have some chunkiness and texture to it.

Cool and chill overnight in the fridge.

To Finish:

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In the final moments of churning, add the rhubarb ginger compote and churn to marble throughout the ice cream.

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One response

8062012

Anonymous(08:33:45) :

Any ice cream I’ve had the privilege of sampling from this recipe site has been delicious!….especially the rhubarb ginger!….yes, just the right amount of ‘sweet and heat’ (good name for this one!). Loved both rhubarb flavors!…..a lovely treat! Thanks! Hildie